NFL Player Walks Into Animal Shelter, Asks To Adopt A “Dog That’s Been Here A Long Time”

This past weekend, Baltimore Ravens Offensive Tackle Ronnie Stanley—along with his girlfriend, and a teammate—stopped by BARCS, the city animal shelter, and made the most fantastically game-winning request.

“We are looking,” for a dog, he said, “that’s been here a long time and maybe not-so-adoptable,” is how BARCS (animal shelter) put it in our new favorite Facebook post.

The threesome met a handful of dogs. Then Winter became the lucky pup who got drafted into the big leagues.

Winter is a 6-year-old girl who’d been found in mid-May, locked inside a room in an empty home, with no food, water, or fresh air.

She was dehydrated and scared, and has a sagging belly that indicates she’s given birth to lots of puppies.

Her new dad’s reaction: “Well, that’s just what happens when you’ve had babies.”

Then he adopted her. And Winter sealed her sweet new deal with a great big kiss.

BARCS spokesperson Bailey Deacon is thrilled for Winter—and for what her adoption may mean for other shelter dogs.

“If big, strong, cool Ronnie chooses adoption, so will those who look up to him,” she says. “And the bonus here is that he didn’t come in and adopt just any dog, he specifically asked for a long-term, hard to adopt pup. How cool is that?”

Yep, our hearts have been officially tackled.

BARCS has so many great animals looking for homes! (So does your local shelter, if you happen not to be in Baltimore.)